MAYOR ADAMS AND GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCE REMOVAL OF 73,000 GHOST CARS AND ILLEGAL MOTORIZED VEHICLES FROM NEW YORK CITY STREETS AS “PUBLIC SAFETY WEEK” ROLLS ON

 

Crackdown Targets Untraceable Vehicles Linked to Crime, Protects Taxpayers, and Frees Up Parking for Residents 

  

20,000 Ghost Cars and 53,000 Illegal Motorized Vehicles Removed Since Start of Adams Administration  

  

Builds on Ongoing Interagency, City-State Task Force That Has Already Removed an Additional 3,000 Ghost Cars from New York City Streets 

As “Public Safety Week” rolls on, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) have removed more than 73,000 illegal “ghost cars” — cars that are virtually untraceable by traffic cameras and toll readers because of their forged or altered license plates — and illegal and unregistered motorized scooters, bikes, and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) from New York City streets since the start of the Adams administration. 

  

This year alone, NYPD and DSNY have removed more than 7,500 ghost cars and 27,000 illegal motorized vehicles from New York City streets. And since the launch of a joint task force between the two departments in September — just 12 weeks ago — more than 5,000 ghost cars have been removed. This task force targets parked ghost cars and contributed to the more than 20,000 ghost cars and more than 53,000 illegal and unregistered motorized vehicles seized since the start of the Adams administration. 

  

Ghost cars and other illegal vehicles pose significant public safety risks and are increasingly being used in violent crimes, including shootings and robberies, as well as in traffic offenses like hit-and-runs. Ghost cars also deprive law-abiding taxpayers of millions of dollars in unpaid tolls and fees that could otherwise be invested in critical government services. 

  

“Our kids, families, and all New Yorkers must feel safe and be safe in our city, but ghost cars contribute to the feeling of disorder, and that’s why our administration has pumped the brakes on the use of these illegal vehicles,” said Mayor Adams. “While outlaws use fraudulent, defaced, or non-existent license plates and other illegal vehicles to commit and evade accountability for serious crimes, including shootings, robberies, and hit-and-runs, thanks to our partnership across city and state agencies, we have taken more than 73,000 ghost cars and illegal vehicles off New York City’s streets since the start of our administration. We are not going to stand by while people break the law, defraud our city, and endanger the public.” 

  

“Ghost plates and toll evasion cost our state millions each year, which is why we launched a city-state task force to crack down on these offenders and worked with the legislature this year to strengthen enforcement actions,” said Governor Hochul. “Working in partnership with Mayor Adams and law enforcement, we are prioritizing the safety of all New Yorkers by removing these vehicles from our streets and ensuring these brazen actions do not go unchecked any longer.” 

 

“Ghost plates and the vehicles that use them have long been a plague on the streets of New York City,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “But the days of motorists getting away with it are over. When you are caught driving or parking a ghost vehicle, you will be stopped and, when necessary, arrested. Your vehicle will also be impounded. I assure everyone that all of our interagency task forces are fully dedicated to this critical work of ensuring public safety.” 

 

“The MTA is conveying to anyone who still hasn’t gotten the message on toll evasion: forget it. We will catch you, stop you, fine you, and we’ll seize your car,” said Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chief Security Officer Michael Kemper. “We have the tools, training, and technology to catch toll evaders; just ask the 3,200 people whose cars have been impounded or the 700 people who’ve been arrested in one of our toll evasion operations this year. We’ll remain vigilant on toll evasion because there’s zero tolerance for scofflaws or for criminals stealing millions from New Yorkers, and we thank Mayor Adams, the NYPD, the Port Authority, New York City Sheriff's Office, the New York State Police, and all of our other partner agencies for working with us on this important effort.” 

 

“The Port Authority is unwavering in its commitment to keeping our roadways safe, and the remarkable success of this initiative underscores the critical importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies to tackle toll evasion and ghost plates,” said Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Superintendent Edward Cetnar. “In just seven months, our united efforts have resulted in thousands of summonses and hundreds of arrests. This sends a clear message: Those who cheat the system will face immediate consequences. Together, we are ensuring that nobody on our roads shirks their responsibility for safe, fair, and equitable travel.” 

 

In September, Mayor Adams announced a new interagency task force in which 15 NYPD officers were assigned strictly to parked ghost car removal under the direction of DSNY. In the 12 weeks since the task force began regular operations, it has already removed 5,119 ghost cars — freeing up space for New Yorkers who follow safety and regulatory requirements. The NYPD has removed an additional 2,415 ghost cars this year, for a total of 7,534 ghost cars cleared from New York City streets in 2024 already.  

 

In 2023, the NYPD confiscated 18,430 illegal and unregistered motorized scooters, bikes, and ATVs — the highest number in city history — representing a 128 percent increase from 2022. In 2024, the NYPD has already bested 2023’s complete year tally, removing 27,040 illegal vehicles. 

 

This work builds on additional ongoing efforts to combat ghost cars. In March, Mayor Adams, Governor Hochul, and MTA Chair and CEO Lieber launched a multi-agency, city-state ghost car task force that included the NYPD, the New York City Sheriff’s Office, MTA Bridge and Tunnel officers, the New York State Police, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department. The task force completed 58 operations, making 700 arrests, issuing 32,244 summonses, and seizing 3,198 vehicles whose owners owed a total of over $27.3 million in unpaid tolls, taxes, fees, and more. 

  

Overall index crime across New York City is down year-to-date — with reductions in murder, burglary, grand larceny, vehicle theft, and shootings. The increased enforcement of ghost cars and two-wheeled vehicles has played a significant role in narrowing the opportunity for those committing crimes to escape consequences in New York City.   

  

This announcement comes as part of Mayor Adams’ “Public Safety” Week, which continues to highlight the Adams administration's community-driven public safety models — unveiling new and ongoing efforts to keep New Yorkers safe and improve their quality of life. Recently, Mayor Adams released, “Safer Together: The Adams Administration's Approach to Community-Driven Public Safety,” outlining the results of the administration's approach to public safety by delivering multi-agency responses to communities dealing with persistent public safety and quality-of-life concerns. In addition to highlighting neighborhood-by-neighborhood responses, key indicators of the report show the administration's “Community Link” multi-agency response efforts resolved nearly 730 complaints, conducted over 1,070 operations, and issued over 15,900 summonses since launching in May 2023.